When “Harry Potter” scribe JK Rowling wanted a bit more green room, the neighboring home to her Edinburgh mansion seemed like the best place to start.

The 45-year-old was recently granted permission to tear down the $1.6M home to expand her personal garden and build a “a ‘garden room’ folly with a thirty-foot conical center tower and a chimney.” While the project sits in a conservation zone, the governing council did not object to the plans owning to the fact that it ‘goes some way to restoring an original garden plot’.

Rowling purchased her 17-century home, dubbed the “White House”, for somewhere around $3M two years ago. The plot it sits on is drenched in ancient mysticism, having been owned by the Knights Templar long before the foundation was laid in 1615. Before selling, the original owner spent a sizable amount of cash renovating the home – as well as reportedly shipping some 37 tonnes of fully grown specimen trees and shrubs from a nursery in Bergerac, France.

About Michael dEstries

Michael has been blogging since 2005 on issues such as sustainability, renewable energy, philanthropy, and healthy living. He regularly contributes to a slew of publications, as well as consulting with companies looking to make an impact using the web and social media. He lives in Ithaca, NY with his family on an apple farm.